From Cottages to 'Skyscrapers' : The Architecture of A.E. & E.S. Luttrell in Tasmania and New Zealand

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Date

Permanent Link

Thesis Discipline

Art History

Degree Grantor

University of Canterbury

Degree Level

Masters

Degree Name

Master of Arts

This thesis examines the contribution of Alfred and Sidney Luttrell to architecture in Tasmania and New Zealand. From 1886 Alfred, in partnership with Sidney after 1897, designed buildings for a wide variety of clients throughout the northern half of Tasmania. Chapter One looks at the brothers' work in Tasmania, establishing the architects' training and their relationship to each other, and providing a background against which to judge their architecture in New Zealand.
In 1902 the Luttrells emigrated to New Zealand where they remained for the rest of their lives. One of the most significant features of the Luttrells' practice in New Zealand was their introduction of the Chicago 'skyscraper' idiom. Chapter Two traces the development of Alfred Luttrell's commercial style, after describing the environment in which he and Sidney found themselves on their arrival in Christchurch. Chapter Three outlines the Luttrell brothers' engineering achievements, focussing upon their racing grandstand designs which were considered to be the firm's speciality.
Chapter Four details the practice's longstanding association with the Roman Catholic Church in Canterbury and gives an account of their work in the role of unofficial diocesan architects. It also describes Alfred Luttrell's domestic work in New Zealand. Finally, Chapter Five records the fate of the firm after Alfred's death in 1924, and draws together the major themes and achievements of the forty year practice.